854
8.2 Sexual Offenses
8.2.1 Adultery
We may presume, on the basis of earlier Egyptian evidence, that
adultery was a serious wrong and that women adulterers suffered
more than men. In some early Demotic agreements, women lose
their right to reclaim their dowry if found guilty of adultery.^186 In
the Ptolemaic period, the rules of religious associations provided that
a member who committed adultery with another member’s wife be
expelled from the association.^187 From the Instructions of 'Onchshe-
shonqy, we learn that if a woman committed adultery the blame lay
with the husband.8.2.2 Temple precincts were ritually clean places and it was there-
fore a violation of the rules of ritual purity for anyone to have sex
within a temple precinct. There were also food restrictions within at
least some temple sanctuaries.^188- SI
9.1 Religious and Professional Associations^189
Certain classes of priests formed professional associations, or “cult guilds”
(snt), and drew up agreements of mutual assistance, fines for non-
compliance, and regulations, including in some cases, specifying days
on which the association would drink. Such associations are known
earlier, but the agreements all date from the Ptolemaic period. These
agreements were drawn up annually, and the priests paid a monthly
fee for membership in the association. These religious associations
were centered on local manifestations of a god rather than on national
cults and may have sprung up in response to a specific need in pop-
ular religion.^190 Indeed, their proliferation was in part at least an
Egyptian reaction to the influx of foreign populations into Egypt and(^186) Pestman, Marriage.. ., 56.
(^187) De Cenival, Associations.. ., 193.
(^188) We learn from P. Dodgson that the sanctuary of Osiris on the island of
Abaton, adjacent to Elephantine, had strict rules of behavior.
(^189) de Cenival, Associations.. .; Muszynski, “Associations religieuses...”
(^190) Muszynski, “Associations religieuses.. .,” 159.
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